Iestyn

Iestyn is a masculine given name, the Welsh equivalent of English Justin, and may refer to:

Iestyn Davies

Iestyn Davies (born 16 September 1979) is a British classical countertenor.

Education and background

Davies was born in York, England and first studied piano and recorder, mentored in his early years by his father Ioan. From the age of eight he sang as a boy treble in the choir of St John's College, Cambridge. He began singing countertenor in his teens, at Wells Cathedral School. He returned to St John's as a choral scholar, graduating in archaeology and anthropology. He gained his DipRAM from, and was later appointed ARAM by, the Royal Academy of Music. In 2004 he won the Audience Prize at the London Handel Singing Competition and in 2010 was named "Young Artist of the Year" by the Royal Philharmonic Society.

Davies' father Ioan is a long standing cellist with the Fitzwilliam Quartet and a member of St. John's College.

Performance

Iestyn Davies's opera career to date has included the role of Ottone in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea for both Zürich Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and in Handel's Partenope he has sung Arsace for New York City Opera and Armindo for English National Opera. He has sung Oberon in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream for Houston Grand Opera, Apollo in Britten's Death in Venice for English National Opera and Hamor in Handel's Jephtha for both Welsh National Opera and Opéra National de Bordeaux. In 2010 he sang Creonte in Agostino Steffani's Niobe at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. In 2011, he sang the part of Unulfo in Handel's Rodelinda at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Iestyn Harris

Iestyn Rhys Harris (born 25 June 1976) is the Wales national rugby league team's coach. A former dual rugby code international player, he is also currently the head coach at Salford. Harris is a former Man of Steel winner and has also represented Wales on numerous occasions at both codes of rugby. He was named coach of the Wales national rugby league team toward the end of the 2009 season after finishing his playing career at Featherstone Rovers to move onto Crusaders as assistant.

Family

Harris was born in Oldham. His Abercarn-born grandfather Norman Harris played for Ebbw Vale, Pontypool and Newbridge before heading north to win eight Welsh caps under league rules.

Personal life

Harris lives in Todmorden, Yorkshire. He has a sister, Rhian (whose children are Dewi, Emrys and Huan), and is married to Becky Harris with whom he has a daughter, Catrin. He also has a younger son.

He set up RLPredictor.com, a rugby league prediction website, but it failed to take off and is now non-operational.

Martello tower

Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts.

They stand up to 40 feet (12 m) high (with two floors) and typically had a garrison of one officer and 15–25 men. Their round structure and thick walls of solid masonry made them resistant to cannon fire, while their height made them an ideal platform for a single heavy artillery piece, mounted on the flat roof and able to traverse, and hence fire over, a complete 360° circle. A few towers had moats or other batteries and works attached for extra defence.

The Martello towers were used during the first half of the 19th century, but became obsolete with the introduction of powerful rifled artillery. Many have survived to the present day, often preserved as historic monuments.

In the second half of the 19th century, there was another spate of tower and fort building, during the premiership of Lord Palmerston. These fortifications are therefore correctly called the Palmerston Forts, although, because they are circular in design, some confuse them with Martello towers.